(Mickelson picked up another significant win at the Scot

MONZA, Italy -- Sebastian Vettel is odds on to extend his big Formuala One lead over Fernando Alonso after qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix in pole position. Vettel already leads Alonso by 46 points and will be confident of moving further clear of his rivals, given that Alonso starts Sundays race from fifth on the grid and Lewis Hamilton -- who is third overall in the title race -- from a lowly 12th. "The car was fantastic, better than what we could expect. We had a strong pace yesterday and we were able to take that into qualifying," Vettel said. "This year were obviously in strong position. Were able to match other cars down the straight and we know that in corners we have a strong car." Five of the past six winners -- including Vettel in 2008 for Toro Rosso and 2011 for Red Bull -- have started from pole, and such is the speed Vettel showed on Saturday and Friday that it appears only a mishap will stop him from securing his sixth win this season. "Weve seen in the past that a lot of things can happen," Vettel said, referring to Sergio Perezs second place last year from 12th on the grid. "Race pace is very important, but today we did our homework." It was Vettels fourth pole of the campaign -- the first since the Canadian GP in June -- and 40th of his career. He shares the front row with Red Bull teammate Mark Webber. "Bit of a surprise to have both cars on the front row in a place where historically weve had bad years," said Vettel, whose 2011 triumph is Red Bulls only podium at Monza. "Hopefully well have a good race tomorrow, too." Webber, who retires from F1 at the end of the season, competes for the last time in Europe. "I said to the boys I was looking for a qualifying PB (personal best)," the Australian said. "It hasnt been the best place for me, so its a nice step toward a good result." Alonso needed a strong performance but finished fifth behind his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa and Saubers Nico Hulkenberg, who was a surprising third. "I didnt expect it especially after a very difficult Friday," Hulkenberg said. "The guys have done a fantastic job to turn the car around and give me such a competitive car." It was Hamiltons worst qualifying since last years Spanish GP, while Kimi Raikkonen also recorded his poorest qualifying run this year for 11th. Hamilton, last years winner from pole, took the Parabolica turn too wide on the left. After his Mercedes went into the gravel, he was unable to generate any speed. "Thats the worst Ive driven for a long, long time. Im sorry to the team," Hamilton said. "I just didnt drive well." Vettel was in top form as he posted the leading time in Q1 and then Q2, with his team saying "right Sebastian, thats quick enough" over race radio. The German earned the first of his 31 career victories in Monza and won here from pole two years ago. Rain is expected for Sunday and that may be his rivals best hope. Vettel clocked the fastest time in the mornings third and final practice -- ahead of Alonso -- having also been best in Fridays second practice. Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who struggled with the grip in the third practice, locked his front wheels and qualified 13th on a poor afternoon for Lotus. Alonso has also won the race twice -- for Ferrari in 2010 and for McLaren in 2007 -- but was wobbling all over toward the end of Q3 and appeared to berate his team over race radio, although the Spaniard later played down the incident. He has not qualified higher than third all season and will now be up against it on a Monza track regarded as the quickest in F1. Ferrari has given him two races -- here and Singapore in two weeks time -- to close the gap before they abandon their hopes and start focusing on developing next years car. To beat Vettel, and delight the thousands of Ferrari tifosi, he needs to match Rubens Barrichellos win from fifth spot on the grid in 2009. Cheap Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. Cheap Roger Clemens Jersey .The third-seeded Murray, who won here in 2009, will face seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa next on the indoor hard court. http://www.cheapbluejaysjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-roberto-alomar-jersey . Both of Padakins goals came in the second period while Zane Jones added a single in the first period for Calgary (13-6-4). Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger finished with 30 saves for the shutout. Cheap Jesse Barfield Jersey . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Cheap Jack Morris Jersey . -- When Steve Blake checked in at the scorers table with 5:25 remaining in the third quarter, Stephen Curry shook his head and shouted across the court, asking Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson not to take him out. NORTON, Mass. -- On and off the golf course, Tiger Woods didnt look anything like the player who only four days ago dropped to knees with back pain. He took full, powerful swings with the driver at the TPC Boston, and he had no trouble gouging shots from the deep rough. He stooped over without hesitation to remove his tee from the ground or retrieve his golf ball from the cup. Even more telling was the catch. Sitting behind a table at his news conference Thursday, someone tossed Woods a bottle of water from about 25 feet away. The throw was a little wide. Woods instinctively twisted to his right and reached out his hand to grab it. "The back has been ... its a lot better than obviously on Sunday," Woods said at the Deutsche Bank Championship. "It was nice to have that extra day of rest. Having the tournament start on Friday certainly helps. And Ive gotten treatment every day, two to three times a day. And it feels good." It was the third time this year Woods has shown physical discomfort on golf course. An elbow injury forced him to miss two tournaments in the early summer. He was grabbing his lower back in the final round of the PGA Championship. And then at The Barclays last week, after complaining of a stiff lower back from sleeping on a soft mattress in his hotel, Woods fell to his knees on the 13th hole after what he said was a back spasm on his second shot to a par 5. His health figures to be a talking point at the Deutsche Bank Championship, at least until he gets to the 10th tree Friday morning to begin the tournament in the ultimate power grouping -- Woods, British Open champion Phil Mickelson and Masters champion Adam Scott, who not only are Nos. 1-2-3 in the FedEx Cup, but 1-2-3 in the world. Even before he could hit his first tee shot in the pro-am, one of the amateurs asked him about his back. The question was inevitable. The answer was predictable. "Its fine," Woods said. The rest of the round was just like any other. There was no indication of injury, plenty of laughs and even the occasional, "Good shot, Mike," from Woods. He was speaking to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of his amateur partners. Woods said he had planned to play nine holes, and then only chip and putt on the back nine as a precaution, just as he did last week at Liberty National. "But it felt good, so I continued playing," he said. Woods said the treatment was similar to the strain in his left elbow two months ago -- electric stimulation, ice, ultrasound and massage. Still unclear was whether how much he would be able to practice before and after rounds. Woods said that would be "day to day." "This was the first day I hit balls or swung a club since Sunday," he said.dddddddddddd "And it was a pleasant surprise to go out there and play without any discomfort today." That was a good sign, because even for the second of four tournaments, the FedEx Cup playoffs already have turned up a notch. While its traditional for the top three players in the standings to be in the same group for the opening rounds of the playoff events, this is the first time it features the top three players in the world ranking. "Its exciting, I know for me, to have it 1, 2, 3 in the world," Woods said. "It also goes to show you that those are three hottest players in the world." These three players last played together in an opening round in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the first time the USGA used the world ranking to group top players. Woods went on to win his 14th major that week while playing on a shattered left knee with two stress fractures. Mickelson played the mighty South Course without a driver. "The buildup to that event was huge," Scott said. "And just to be even the third wheel in that group was really something Ill remember forever. So it might be the same tomorrow. I dont know, but it will be fun no matter what. Were all playing really well this year. So hopefully, we can push each other along and make a lot of birdies, and it will be an enjoyable couple of days." So whos the third wheel now? "It would be me again," Scott said with a laugh. Those three players also are seen as the top candidates as player of the year -- Scott and Mickelson both have a major among their two PGA Tour wins (Mickelson picked up another significant win at the Scottish Open), while Woods has five wins and no majors. Woods is still the heavy favourite, though a FedEx Cup title for Scott and Mickelson might change that. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion, and still looking for his first win this year. Woods, meanwhile, is at a stage of the season where his vernacular has changed. He used to talk about "reps" and "traj" (trajectory) and "the process." These days, hes using terms related to his treatment like "activation" and "firing sequence" and "protocol." Woods is 37 and has four knee operations behind him. Some nagging injuries this year arent a concern. "Its part of playing sports, you know?" Woods said. "We push it and we have little knick-knack injuries that happen. And Ive had plenty of surgeries over the course of my career, starting in 94 when I was in college. So its the nature of what we do as an athlete. I try to do a lot of preventive things, but the nature of it is that were subjecting our bodies to things that probably it wasnt meant to do." ' ' '